Make Me Whole
by cranesinthesky
Summary: One-shot. While on their honeymoon, Rick shows Michonne just how much he loves her. Prompt Response.
1. Make Me Whole

A/N: Hi everyone! This one-shot is in response to a prompt request I received from Mrs GrimesGrant: "Can you write a Richonne story where it's Michonne's first time and they're on their honeymoon?" So here it is! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

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 _Title taken from Amel Larrieux's "Make Me Whole"_

"Are you sure you want to do this, son?"

Rick looked up from his hands in his lap to the older man on the other side of the mahogany desk. He peered at him over his glasses with a seriousness that made nervous sweat bead at Rick's temples. He inhaled and sat up straighter, a confidence bursting through him as he rubbed the small object he held in his hand, giving him the courage to go on. His future was at stake here and he needed to make this conversation worthwhile.

"Yes, sir, I am," he said. All nervousness and doubts of this visit quickly went away as he thought about why he was there in the first place. "I've been thinking about it for some time now and I'm positive that I want this to happen. With your consent, of course."

The older man nodded once, his eyes never leaving Rick as he leaned back against his chair. "And what do you think my daughter will say?"

Rick nearly smiled at the mention of his girlfriend, Michonne. "I'm hoping she'll say yes, Mr. Anthony."

"Hmm." Mr. Anthony took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, thoughts scrambling through his head. Michonne was him and his wife's only child, a smart young lady who was well on her way to big things in her future. The last thing she needed was a distraction along the way.

However, as he looked at the young man sitting across from him, he realized that if it hadn't have been for this Rick Grimes, he might not have had a daughter to dote on anymore. The accident that Michonne was involved in last year was tough on their family and the aftermath almost emotionally broke her, but Rick was by her side helping her through it every minute of every day. Mr. Anthony was not too fond of the question Rick had laid on his desk, but he was glad it was from a man who he knew he could trust with his daughter.

"Can I see it?" he finally asked after a moment of silence.

Rick nodded and held out his arm to hand him the object.

Mr. Anthony tried to keep his face as expressionless as possible but one look at the round cut diamond ring that he now held in his hand broke that rule. The corners of his mouth twisted into a small side as he continued to observe it.

"It was my mother's," Rick explained proudly. "She gave it to me to pass it on to my future wife. She's hoping to start a tradition with it," he chuckled nervously. "I know Michonne isn't into anything flashy, so I figured it was the perfect choice. If not, we can always-"

"What makes you think I will say yes?"

Rick stopped, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "Sorry, sir, I- I just got ahead of myself…"

The man laughed, waving his hand then passing the ring back to him. "I'm kidding, son."

"Oh." Rick nodded, taking the ring back, relieved.

Mr. Anthony sighed as he leaned forward on his desk. He opened his mouth and then paused, hoping he was making the right decision. "You have my blessing. You can marry my daughter."

A smile broke out on Rick's face, finally exhaling the breath that he had been holding since he walked into the room. "Thank you, sir," he stressed. "I promise I will take care of her and-"

"I know," he said. "I know you will." He stood and held out his hand. The young man's smile was so contagious that he caught himself smiling as well. "I'm not too happy with the idea, considering how young both of you are, but I won't deny Michonne love. Especially with this second chance at life."

Rick mirrored his stance, shaking his hand tightly. "You won't have to worry about her, sir. I'll protect her for the rest of my life."

"Go," Mr. Anthony said, taking back his hand. He waved towards the door. "You have a long drive home; you're not in Georgia anymore." He shook his head. He knew the young man must have been serious considering he drove all the way up to Alexandria, Virginia, just to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. "I'm pretty sure Michonne is waiting for you."

As Rick thanked him again and walked towards the door, the older man stopped him again with a question that his parents had just asked him the night before.

"Why do you want to get married now?"

He turned, the smile never leaving his face. "Why waste time when you find the right one?"

•••

Michonne sighed contently as she rested her head on Rick's chest, silently counting the number of times his chest rose and fell with each breath. They were sprawled on the bed, tired after a long but eventful day, too tired to even get up to order dinner or change out of their clothes. They basked in each other's presence, listening to the gentle sounds of the serene beach right outside of their small rental house. They were married now, having made the lifelong commitment that morning in front of their parents and closest friends.

She lightly moved her hand up and down his chest, her gaze lingering on the diamond ring on her finger.

"We'll have the big ceremony one day," Rick said quietly, watching her.

She gave a small smile and shook her head. "What we had this morning was enough for me."

He chuckled as he thought back to nearly ten hours earlier. Instead of a big ceremony with close friends and family, they opted for a much smaller intimate one at the church that only included both of their parents and their best friends, Glenn and Maggie, who served as the best man and maid of honor. With Michonne leaving in just two months for her summer internship and graduate school, they wanted- and needed- to save money and to be with each other before she left. Their parents finally abandoned their offers to help them after both Rick and Michonne turned them down, offering instead to pay for their four night stay on the beach as a honeymoon.

"I really wanted you to experience the whole nine- have the bridesmaids, pick out the dresses, find a venue and all of the other things a bride does."

Michonne shifted her body so that she was facing him, taking his hand in hers. "None of that matters to me. You know that; I'm not the traditional type. As long as I'm with you, the venue and the dress doesn't matter. Although," she looked down at the long white halter dress that she was wearing. "I will say that I did enjoy picking out the dress."

He smiled, bringing her delicate fingers to his mouth for a kiss. The moonlight was shining through the double french doors a few feet away from the foot of the bed, illuminating its light on his wife. She looked beautiful. Her shoulder length locs were hanging loosely against her shoulders and had a few pieces that were decorated with small gold cuffs, an accessory that she loved and wore often. His gaze flickered to her large brown eyes, getting lost in them, and he instantly wondered what he did to deserve her. Whatever it was, he was glad she was there. If there was one thing that were true, he was sure he was born to love her.

He gently pulled her down so that she was on top of him, cupping her face to pull her lips to his. Their kiss deepened with urgency, their tongues dancing before finally pulling apart so they could catch their breath. She rested her forehead against his. He could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. They both knew where this was going.

"We don't have to do this tonight," he said. "We can take our time. Do whatever else you want. We're out here for four days so we have time."

She grinned at his thoughtfulness. They had been together for nearly a year before the accident and were close to the point of being intimate, but that one dreadful night had put a wrench in their plans. She was in the hospital for a while, physical therapy started once she was out, and her confidence in herself was low, so they had some things to work through before taking that step. He was patient with her, showing her in other ways how much he loved her- staying by her side through the pain, helping her start up school again and finish, supporting her. All of it was a sign of his love for her.

But tonight was different. She had lost a piece of herself that night of the accident, to the point where she didn't feel whole. When she was with Rick, she felt herself coming back together again.

Michonne intertwined her hand with his and bent down for another kiss. "I want this," she whispered. "And I want you."

They spent the next few moments exploring each other's bodies, clothes slowly coming off as the ocean waves outside of their room became the soundtrack of the night. Rick licked every part of her, tracing her lines and curves with his fingers, thanking the angels for leading him to her. He led a trail of kisses from the top of her head to the lower half of her body, paying special attention to the long scar on the side of her knee. Her battle scar and a testimony of how she had won the fight.

It wasn't long before he was hovering over her naked body as she shyly looked up at him. He helped her relax by placing kisses on her shoulder and neck, tasting the saltiness of her smooth skin. When he entered her slowly, she kept herself from crying out, noting the slight pain that it had injected. He paused, stopping until she patted his waist with her hand, signaling him to continue. As he went on, he whispered sweet sentiments in her ear and she found herself moving along with him, their bodies rocking to the motion of the ocean waves. She tightened her arms around his back, finally accepting his soul into hers as they exchanged their love for each other.

He was the other half that made her whole.


	2. Sandcastles

_I wasn't planning on doing a follow up to this story, but I rewatched **Lemonade** the other day and Sandcastles happens to be one of my favorite music videos and song. I've always wanted to do a story based on that song of reconciliation and figured this version of Richonne would be the perfect choice (hopefully), seeing as to how they married young and may have faced some trials and tribulations along the way. I hope you enjoy it and please be sure to leave a review! _

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Michonne stared intently at Rick who was standing only a few feet away from her, noticing truly for the first time how much their situation had taken a toll on him. His haggard facial features. How he had let his facial hair grow out to a five o'clock shadow, a look he had never sported before. How his brown curls were past due for a haircut, the ends brushing against the collar of his shirt. But the biggest, most prominent feature were his eyes, oncee filled with happiness and joyfulness, now filled with sadness and disappointment. She cringed at the sight of him, averting her gaze to the window so that he couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"How did we get here?" she heard him whisper in that accent she fell in love with years ago.

She turned her gaze back to him. He was staring at the suitcase next to her, packed away with her clothes and a few other belongings to take with her.

"I don't know," she said sadly.

She looked down at her hands, the ring he had given her six years ago sparkling in the sunlight reflecting through the window. She had left their house a few days ago, only returning today to gather more of her belongings, and still had yet to remove the ring. She had had time to think things through but still wasn't so sure if she wanted it to go that far..

They had married young, thinking at the time that they had the world at their fingertips. Throughout the last couple of months, they had faced hardships that they couldn't emotionally and mentally handle, resulting in a drift in their relationship and marriage. Neither spoke with each other, keeping their feelings and thoughts bottled up inside, until one day it all came to an abrupt eruption. Words were thrown around, pictures were snatched out of the frames, suitcases were packed, all of which led to the position they were in now.

And she hated it. He hated it. He had felt his heart break into a million pieces when she had walked away that night, tears streaming down her tired face.

"I'm staying with Maggie and Glenn," she said, placing her hand on the suitcase and letting her gaze drift from the ring. "Until I find my own place."

When he didn't say anything, she started to walk away, but he placed his hand on her arm to stop her. She looked back at him. His eyes pleaded with her, the bags underneath darker than the last time she had saw him. He was broken.

"Please," he drawled. "Don't walk away."

"Rick-"

"We can make this work," he stressed, his red rimmed eyes baring into her own. "We just need to talk things out."

She shook her head, feeling the tears rushing to her again. She blinked a few times to will them away. "Rick, I can't stay."

"I should have did more," he explained, running a hand through his curls. "I should have spoken with you more instead of keeping all of the pain inside. It wasn't supposed to go like this."

She nodded, admitting her fault in their issues as well. She looked down at his hand on her arm, his wedding band still wrapped around his ring finger.

She pulled him closer to her, closing her eyes as she breathed in the scent of him. She had missed him over the last couple of days, yearning for his presence even though they had not been on the best of terms. Being around him was enough for her, but being able to touch him was electrifying, the contact causing shudders to run down her spine.

She rested her forehead against his before opening her eyes. She brought her hand up to his face, caressing each worry line on his forehead, her thumb wiping away the lone tear that had slipped down his cheek. She couldn't lose him.

"We can make it work," she agreed softly. His eyes glistened, a small smile of relief drifting across his lips at her admittance.

Hours later, the sun had gone down and the stars sparkled outside of their window, crickets chirping in the night air. Her suitcase was still standing by the front door, abandoned by its owner as she talked things through with her husband.

Rick and Michonne were now lying in bed, exhausted but also not wanting to give in to sleep just yet. They were trying to get back to the way things were, but they still had some work to do, knowing that their marriage couldn't be cured over a couple of hours. But she had agreed to stay to make it work, that was what mattered the most.

He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" she asked wearily, her eyes halfway closed as she struggled to keep them open. It looked like she was losing the fight.

"Our anniversary," he said without hesitation. "I still owe you that big wedding."

"You do," she chuckled, remembering his promise from their wedding night. "Think we'll still have it?"

He smiled, running his thumb over her wedding ring as her eyes drifted close. "We will. I'll be sure of it."


	3. Start Over

I was going through my drafts while taking a break from my other story and came across this that I started right after I finished chapter 2. I got a few requests to continue it so here it is. I hope you guys enjoy it!

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He had made good on his promise.

Michonne chuckled lightly as she rested her head on Rick's shoulder, relaxing in his arms and breathing in the scent of him as they swayed back and forth to the start of Amel Larrieux's "Make Me Whole." Who would have thought nearly a year ago they were ready to go their separate ways. Ready to leave a six year marriage over a few downfalls and broken promises, letting their pain talk instead of their hearts.

Yet, here they were surrounded by their friends and family as they vowed to not let the pain get the best of them again. After healing and given the chance to start over, they were able to put the pieces back together again, completing and making them whole. She was even more in love with him now more than she was before and she had a feeling he felt the same way.

"What's so funny?" he asked, gently rubbing her back. She was dressed in a simple white sleeveless dress that showcased her toned arms and sculpted shoulders, her hair curled and pulled up into an elegant updo. It was a more relaxed outfit than what she wore for the actual vow renewal ceremony- a halter dress with a tulle skirt that flowed with her every movement- but still beautiful nonetheless. Michonne could walk around in a paper bag and Rick would think she was the most beautiful person on earth.

Michonne peered up at him, the corners of his eyes were crinkled due to his smile. "Just thinking about how we got to this point," she answered softly. "And how happy we are. Thank you for not giving up on us."

"Thank you for giving us another chance," he replied, his smile fading as he thought back to those rough moments.

He had let his internal struggles get the best of him, choosing to suffer in silence after he had been shot while on duty instead of speaking with her. She begged him to talk to her, then decided that maybe giving him some space would help his situation and to let him come around on his own terms. When none of it seemed to work, she threw herself into her work to cope with her own emotions. They grew apart, distancing themselves from each other to the point of separation. In the end, they agreed to try and start over again. It took a lot of effort, but a year later, they were back and better than ever.

Rick brought her fingers to his lips, placing a kiss on them, his eyes baring into hers. The contact wasn't enough for her and she craved more. She placed her hand on his cheek and pulled his face to hers, her lips capturing his in a deep kiss. They were still the only ones on the dance floor and were well aware that all of their guests were watching, but she didn't care.

When he pulled away, he had that look in his eyes. The same one that he always obtained when he was ready to explore her body and hear her moan his name out loud. "Not now," she said, placing her hands on his arms as if he was ready to pounce. "We still have a couple of more hours before we need to leave."

"We can sneak out for a bit," he drawled, using his eyes to try and convince her. "Just for a couple of minutes."

Michonne nearly laughed. "Now you know we need more than a couple of minutes. Besides," she leaned closer to whisper in his ear with a mischievous smirk on her face. "I have something special planned for tonight. I think it's best that we wait."

Rick bit his lip, glancing at his watch and trying to remember when exactly their flight to Costa Rica was scheduled to leave. Whatever time it was, it couldn't come any faster.

"Be patient," she urged, circling her arms around his neck and peering up at him. "Good things come to those who wait."

He chuckled. "That I've found to be true." He kissed her on the forehead, his lips lingering on her skin for a moment before he pulled away. The song was almost over now. The band had chosen to sing it again for the couple as per the request of Maggie, the matron of honor, who noticed how in sync the two were. Michonne shot a grateful smile to her that was returned by a wink from her closest friend.

Michonne's raked her hand through the curls at the nape of his neck. It was past time for a trim but she refused to let him cut it as she enjoyed the silky feel of it. She closed her eyes, listening to the lyrics of their favorite song.

 _You make my dreams come true / over and over again / and I honestly truly believe / you and me are written in the stars /I live my whole life through / to giving thanks to you_

"I love you so much, Rick Grimes."

He rested his forehead on hers. "I love you, too, Michonne Grimes." His fingers slipped down to her waist. "Who knows, we might have another member of the family around this time next year. At the rate we've been going, it's bound to happen soon."

"Easy there, cowboy," she laughed, opening her eyes. "You're jumping too far ahead. We still haven't finished building the house yet."

He smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. They had talked about having a baby and with seven years in, he figured it was time for it. A child with Michonne, evidence of their love and a combination of the best in both of them was all he asked. Hopefully it will come one day.

"Okay, I'll hold off. For now."

She shook her head in adoration and was about to place her head on his shoulder again until he placed his lips on hers for one final kiss before the song ended. The audience erupted into an applause of cheers for the happy couple, but neither Rick or Michonne could hear them, lost in the feel of each other.

They were whole again.

 _Lyrics used: Make Me Whole by Amel Larrieux_


End file.
